Sometimes it seems like troves of old photos of New York City turn up online every other day. But we still ogle them because … well, what can we say? We heart old NYC porn. The latest is this collection at the website of the Museum of the City of New York of some 1,200 photographs by Edmund V. Gillon, whom the museum says is best known for the books he wrote about New York City, particularly its architecture. His pictures are largely architectural, too, “portraying the city’s historic districts, landmarks, architectural ornamentation, and civic sculpture,” according to the website.

Working mostly in the 1970s and ’80s, Gillon captured monuments, public art, art institutions, and hundreds of buildings (and the details on them) in black and white. For the most part, the photos are spare and simple; every so often, a striking shot with a clear artistic flourish comes along. Gillon seems to have taken great pleasure in documenting the city’s changing face, as so many of us still do. Here’s a small sample of his work.